All-NEC Team (PDF)
NEC Release
East Rutherford, NJ – Senior offensive lineman
Matt Diaz (Edison, NJ/Edison/Milford Academy), fifth-year senior tight end
Ryan Owens (Gainesville, MY/Letchworth), and junior punter
Bryan Rafano (South River, NJ / St. Joseph's-Metuchen) were named to the 27-man, 2016 Preseason All-NEC Team, the league office announced today at the #NECFB Social Media Day today at MetLife Stadium.
Defending league champion Duquesne was picked as the NEC preseason favorite with six one first-place votes. Sacred Heart, which picked up one first-place ballot, was chosen second in the annual predicted order-of-finish. Saint Francis U found itself in third place when the survey results were tallied, followed by Bryant, Central Connecticut, Robert Morris and Wagner.
The last time that the Seahawks were picked last was in 2012, a year that saw the Green & White stun observers by recording nine consecutive wins earning and earning the NEC Championship and a first-round NCAA FCS Playoff victory over Colgate.
For the third straight season in 2016, Diaz is expected to be a leader up front, anchoring the left tackle spot for the Green & White. At 6-6, 290 pounds, he is a mobile and talented offensive lineman who boasts a wealth of explosion at the point of attack, in addition to his tremendous size. This marks the second consecutive season that Diaz has earned a spot on the #NECFB Preseason Team. Last season, he suffered a leg injury in preseason camp and ended up seeing action in in just six games, taking over the starting left tackle position in the last five games of the season.
The 6-4, 235-pound Owens was named to the 2015 All-NEC Team following a breakout season that saw him lead the Seahawks in both receptions (29) and receiving yards (353). An athletic tight end, who combines outstanding size with good hands, quickness and agility, the upstate New York native recorded a career-high 131 yards on eight receptions and a touchdown vs. Bryant (11/7) last season.
Owens, who capped the season with a five-catch, 57-yard effort at Sacred Heart (11/2), started all 11 games a season ago and caught at least one pass in 10 contests. A member of 2015 NEC Fall All-Academic Honor Roll, he enters the 2016 season with 53 career receptions for 586 yards (11.1 average) and three touchdowns in 33 games.
The 6-1, 180-pound Rafano will be looking to build upon a stellar 2015 campaign in which he started all 11 games on the season and took all 68 of the Seahawks' punts, totaling 2,689 punting yards on the year while averaging 39.5 yards per punt. In front of more than 56,000 fans at BYU (10/24), the totaled 425 punting yards on nine attempts, including five 50-plus yard efforts, highlighted by a career-long 57-yard boot. For the season, the 2015 NEC Fall All-Academic Honor Roll member recorded eight 50-plus yard punts.
The 2016 Seahawks, under the direction of second-year head coach
Jason Houghtaling, open the season on Thursday, September 1 vs. St. Anselm College (NH) under the lights in a 6:00 p.m. start at Hameline Field. The Green & White will then host Concordia College (MI) on September 10 at Noon. Following a bye week, the Seahawks will conclude the opening month of the season by traveling to FBS member Boston College of the ACC on September 24.
Led by Owens, along with fellow co-captain and fifth-year senior linebacker
Najee Harris (Norristown, PA / Norristown), Wagner entertains NEC rival Sacred Heart on October 1 in a Homecoming clash at 6:00 p.m., before hosting Ivy League member Columbia on October 8 in another 6:00 p.m. start. The Green & White then hit the road for three consecutive games. On October 15, the Green & White travel to New Britain, CT to meet Central Connecticut in a 1:00 p.m. matchup before playing their third NEC game of the season at Bryant on October 22 at 1:00 p.m.
Wagner closes out the month of October at FBS member UMass, before closing the season with three straight Noon NEC matchups. This pivotal three-game conference stretch begins at home vs. defending NEC champion Duquesne on November 5, continues at Robert Morris on November 12, and concludes with the regular season finale at home vs. Saint Francis U.
The 11-game schedule features a cross-section of opponents who hail from four different classifications; FBS (Boston College and UMass), Division II (Saint Anselm), NAIA (Concordia) and FCS (Columbia, as well as the six NEC rivals).
#NECFB
Preseason Poll Results
1. Duquesne (6)
2. Sacred Heart (1)
3. Saint Francis U
4. Bryant
5. Central Connecticut
6. Robert Morris
7. Wagner
First place votes in parentheses ().
About the Northeast Conference
Entering its 36th year, the Northeast Conference is an NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association consisting of 10 institutions of higher learning located throughout six states. Media coverage of the NEC extends to four of the largest markets in the United States - New York (#1), Pittsburgh (#23), Baltimore (#27), and Hartford/New Haven (#30). Founded in 1981 as the basketball-only ECAC Metro Conference, the NEC has grown to sponsor 22 championship sports for men and women and now enjoys automatic access to 14 different NCAA Championships. NEC member institutions include Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Mount St. Mary's, Robert Morris, Sacred Heart, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis U., and Wagner. Duquesne is an associate member of the NEC in the sport of football. For more information on the NEC, visit the league's official website (
www.northeastconference.org) and digital network (
www.necfrontrow.com), or follow the league on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram and Google+, all @NECsports.
Follow Wagner Athletics on Twitter (@WagnerAthletics) for all the latest news and updates on the athletic department and @Wagner_Football for all the latest news pertaining to Wagner Football and first-year head coach Jason Houghtaling (@HossWagner)
